Sunday's Message - How to Celebrate the 4th of July at Home

On Sunday morning, Sligo Presbyterian Church gathered for its annual worship service and picnic at the Union Pool Park, in Sligo. Our service began at 10:00 followed by a carry-in picnic lunch. Below is a recording and the text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Well, here we are, my fourth church picnic here in Sligo. And although it might be a little damp today, it’s really nothing like it was three years ago, when the Deacons were literally shoveling mud out of the shelter in the back. Do you remember that? And what y’all who came might find interesting is this; I’m not at all sure th ey washed their hands before putting out the food. Well, remember, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

Of course, I’ve always enjoyed church picnics, particularly the ones held right before the Fourth of July. I mean, not only do they sort of put us in a picnicking frame of mind, they also give me something to preach about that’s a little different from what I’ve been saying on Sunday morning. Take this year, for example. We’ve been in a series dealing with Paul’s letter to the Galatians. And even though we’ll pick up on it next week, this morning I can focus on something that really stands alone, and I’m talking about the Fourth of July. 

And you know, it’s interesting, as I was doing some research on Friday, I ran across an article that was published on June 24, 2020, you know, right in the early stages of the pandemic, and it was entitled How to Celebrate the 4th of July at Home. Now in it, the writer suggested doing several different things, you know, like getting “some Fourth of July decorations to bring your home to life in lockdown” and having “some games ready for you and your family /quaranteam to keep you entertained” and making “sure everybody dresses the part and dresses up in spirit for the 4th!” Now those were some of the suggestions, and I’ll tell you, outside of words like “lockdown” and “quaranteam,” personally, I think they’re pretty good with or without COVID crashing the party.

But when you think about it, if you’re talking about suggestions dealing with how we might celebrate this day, it may make sense to go right to the source, and I’m talking about a person who served on the Congressional committee that actually wrote our Declaration of Independence. You see, along with Thomas Jefferson; Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were also members of this Committee of Five assigned to draft a document that would be presented to the Congress, which they did on July 2. And even though no one took any minutes as they were working, we do have a letter that John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail after the declaration was approved. And after giving her a little background information, he offered two suggestions about how Independence Day might be celebrated in the future.

And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. You see, we’re going to listen to what Adams wrote, compare it to similar ideas in the Bible and then we’re going to relate it ourselves. And hopefully, by the end of this little message, we’ll have a good idea about how to celebrate the 4th of July at home.

And like I said, I think we can get a pretty good idea about how we can do this by looking at two very clear and practical suggestions offered by John Adams in his letter to his wife. For example, first, according to what he wrote, we can celebrate the Fourth of July with joy as we look at the past. Just listen to what Adams wrote:

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Now that’s how this founding father envisioned us celebrating our independence. And you know, what he was saying about how it was a Day of Deliverance, well, that sounds a lot like what Isaiah felt as he thought about what God had done with his people. The prophet wrote, 

You, Lord, are my God!

    I will praise you

for doing the wonderful things

you had planned and promised

    since ancient times.

You have destroyed the fortress

of our enemies,

    leaving their city in ruins.

Nothing in that foreign city

    will ever be rebuilt.

Now strong and cruel nations

    will fear and honor you.

You have been a place of safety

for the poor and needy

    in times of trouble.

Brutal enemies pounded us

    like a heavy rain

or the heat of the sun at noon,

    but you were our shelter.

Those wild foreigners struck

    like scorching desert heat.

But you were like a cloud,

    protecting us from the sun.

You kept our enemies from singing

    songs of victory. [Isaiah 25:1-5, CEV]

You see, both Adams and Isaiah could feel joy as they looked at what God had done for them in the past. 

And I’m telling you, on this Fourth of July, so can we. We can feel joy as we look to the past, our past; particularly when we consider the courage and the wisdom shown by our founding fathers and mothers. Of course, we all know they certainly weren’t perfect; My gosh, they either practiced or condoned racial slavery and our mothers had to fight and scrap to take their rightful place beside our fathers. Still, they had the courage to risk everything they had for a cause greater than themselves and the wisdom to promote ideas that are still developing and being applied in situations they could never have imagined, and I’m talking about principles like liberty and justice and equality. You see, we can feel joy and enthusiasm that such men and women lived and did extraordinary things. And so, following the suggestion of John Adams, I think we can celebrate the Fourth of July with joy as we look at the past. Now that’s one thing we can do.

And second, we can also celebrate the Fourth of July with hope as we look toward the future. In other words, not only can we feel joy looking at where we’ve been, we can also feel hope as we consider where we’re going. And I think that’s something else Adams wrote in this letter. He said, 

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. – I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. – Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

You see, for Adams, even though the price paid may be great, in the end, it’ll all be worth it. And I’ll tell you, this sounds a lot like what the writer of the letter to the Hebrews had in mind when he said this:

Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne! So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up. [Hebrews 12:1-3, CEV]

You see, we’re not running this race alone, not as individuals and not as a country. We’re surrounded by a large crowd of witnesses. And even when things seem rough and we feel as though we’re struggling and have lost our way a little bit, we can keep moving forward. We can keep moving forward, because we believe that the world was and the world is and the world will always be in the hands of God. And we can keep moving forward, because we’re confident that “through all the Gloom [we] can see the Rays of ravishing Light” that are illuminating our path. You see, we can keep moving forward, because, if we allow ourselves and our country to continue to grow and mature and not retreat and stagnate, there’s glory just ahead. And I’ll tell you, that’s why I think we can celebrate the Fourth of July with hope as we look toward the future, something else Adams suggested that we do.

Of course, doing this kind of thing won’t be easy. I mean, there are plenty of people who tell us that we should be ashamed of the past and plenty of others that want us to be afraid of the future. But since they don’t control us, let’s make the intentional decision to put these folks over to one side. And then as men and women who were delivered in the past and who are racing into the future, let’s follow the suggestion of John Adams and the examples of the faithful and celebrate the Fourth of July with joy as we look at the past and with hope as we look toward the future. And trust me, this is something we can do whether we’re at home or away.